I was feeling lazy yesterday morning so i took the bus to the stadium. When i arrived i went to the VIP Lounge to collect my complimentary souvenir magazine and ticket holder. Wondered off to the practice court and had a look at the schedule, forgot to say that they publish the practice timetable so you know who is practicing where. I must admit that i only look for the name "Nadal". Out on court were the Bryan Bros, Istomin & Nieminen. Rafa was due at 11 but when i left to go to the private side his name was gone from the board. The lady on the patio side didn't know if he had cancelled or not so i hung around whilst someone went to check. In the meantime the Bryan Bros finished practice and i managed to get them to sign their page in the tournament magazine. I congratulated them on their Doubles record and they said "thanks, appreciate it". I know they are not the most popular guys on tour but they took the time to sign all the autographs, were talking to us all and posed for photographs. Anyway out came a volunteer to say that Rafa had indeed cancelled and would be here at 5. Off i went to the main court to watch Gasquet.
Got into court @ 3-2. Never seen this Stakhovsky guy but played some lovely S&V today which is always good to see. He got a late break in the 1st set to take that 7-5. He got the first break in the 2nd set to go 2-1 up and then raced away with the match taking the 2nd 6-1.
Next up was Simon & Youzhny. Play wasn'tt scheduled to get underway until 13.30 so i went for another looking around the Patio practice court and there was Gonzo and on the court next to him was Bellucci. Only had 20 minutes so just sat back and watched & took a few photos. Went back to the stadium and the match had already started, got in at 1-1. As soon as i get there Simon faced BP but saved it with an ace. Youzhny got the first break & backed it up to lead 5-4, then it rained. Just under an hour delay before the players were back and Youzhny took the 1st set after saving 2 BP from Simon. Youzhny got a break in the 1st game of the 2nd set and then gave it straight back to Simon. More breaks and Simon has a 4-1 lead but once again it rained.
I moved again to the VIP Lounge as there was a Cheese & Wine reception with an apperance from Novak. Nice wine, nice cheese and nice witty talk from Novak. I managed to say hi and wish him good luck in the doubles and got him to autograph one of my photos. Finally the rain stopped and play resumed. Youzhny had engaged his brain, got back all the breaks to go ahead 5-4. Takes the 2 MP and wins the match 6-4 6-4.
As it was after 19.30 they moved straight on with the night session and up first was local man Polansky v Melzer. 1st set was on serve until 6-5 Melzer serving and man was this a long game! Polansky had 7 SP's during the game but was unable to take 1. A shot wide gave Melzer the game and into a TB we went. Lots of breaks of serve but Polansky came out on top to take it 8-6. A break from Polansky at the start of the 2nd set but in the next game Melzer has 2 break back points but is unable to convert and throws his racquet against the back wall. By this time, even though it was a good match from the local and the crowd were into the match i was getting very tired. Polansky finally reached match point and took it, well done!
Now for the Doubles match. It was interesting to see them both on the same side of the net and whilst they are both professionals you could tell early on that this was only been taken semi-seriously. Lots of smiles and laughs between the 2 of them. Rafa's serving wasn't that great but with the scoring system in doubles it is easy enough to get your breaks back. R&N upped their game at the end of the 1st set and took it 7-5. I stopped writting at this point as i wanted to enjoy the match and get some photos but they lost in the championship tie-break. They were 8-2 down at one point but got it back to 8-9. Credit to the 2 Canadian guys, at least they can say they beat Rafa & Novak. I guess R&N might be slightly disappointed with the result as entering the doubles is a good way to get some match practice and work on the volley skills (Rafa good, Novak slightly better than normal standard) You could tell the partnership was new as on a few occasions they both left the ball, much to their amusement! Didn't hang around for the fireworks (i could see from my bedroom window) and crawled into bed just after 12.30.
Photos http://s984.photobucket.com/albums/ae322/clare2904/Toronto%20Day%203/
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